It was like two children fighting over a toy.
When she tried to use her free hand to untie the bandana, I’d had enough. As much as I’d wanted to save it, she needed the dream dust. I found my pants nearby and pulled the pouch from my pocket. She got the bandana untied right as I blew the remaining white powder in her face.
She coughed while I turned and held my breath. After I felt her go limp, I turned back to catch her just before she hit the ground face first. Then I retied the bandana.
“Dammit,” I muttered in frustration, picking her up and pushing myself to my feet.
My original plan had been to somehow climb down from the window using the bedsheets, dragging Lisanda along the way if she resisted. Now I was thinking that probably wouldn’t have worked very well. I should’ve just used the dream dust right away, then I could’ve been out the window already. The guards were coming up the stairs.
With the Sartious rings no longer needed, I turned the hard energy into a light green dust cloud to free my hand from Lisanda’s. I tossed her onto the bed near the window.
I was squeezing into my wet clothing when I heard the doorknob wiggle.
“Open this door,” a guard demanded, pounding on it now, “or I’ll break it down.”
“Haven’t you done enough?” It was the innkeeper’s voice. He was right beside the guard outside. “Give me a moment to fetch the key.”
I rushed to tie the end of a bedsheet around Lisanda’s waist. Then I carried her to the window.
“There’s no time,” the guard replied to the innkeeper. “Move back.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no reason to break down this door!”
There was some sort of tussle between them. I heard bodies bouncing against walls. Some guests must’ve come out of their room nearby because I heard two new voices.
“Stop!” a woman ordered.
“Stand back, Margaret!” An older man seemed to be talking to the woman.
“You will not stand in our way,” the guard said. I heard the distinct sound of knuckles slamming into flesh.
“Stop!” The woman was on the verge of tears.
By then I had tied the other end of the sheets to the bed leg and pushed the bed as close to the window as possible. I was far from confident that my plan would work perfectly. The sheets could rip, the bed leg could break, Lisanda could slam against the side of the inn, or any number of other bad things could happen.
But I didn’t have any time left. Guards were kicking my door now.
I grabbed some slack of the rope made of sheets, leaned back on the bed, and propped my feet against the wall. I shifted one foot toward the Princess where I had her lying across the windowsill. After a few nudges, she rolled over the edge. The sudden weight was startling, mostly because I knew her life was in my hands, but I managed to hold her without too much difficulty.
I knew a guard would bust through the door any second. I felt Lisanda’s body brushing against the side of the inn as I lowered her as quickly as I could without losing my grip. Soon, I ran out of slack. I slowly let myself up from the bed, worried it would flip or break from Lisanda’s weight when I got up. It creaked but seemed to hold.
The door flew open. Two guards stomped into the room. I noticed the innkeeper’s slumped body against the wall in the hallway and a woman tending to him.
“Is that him?” one guard asked.
“What are you doing?” the other asked me, nearly at the same time as the first guard’s question. Both had their hands on the hilts of their swords.
“It is him!” the first one answered himself. “He’s trying to run.”
They came at me. I swung myself over the window, barely grabbing the rope of bedsheets in my panic. With a quick look down, I noticed Lisanda’s limp body hanging a few feet from the ground. I looked back up. A guard and his sword peeked out the window. He swiped at me but missed. He started to cut the bedsheet! Even with Lisanda tied to it! What in the
When she tried to use her free hand to untie the bandana, I’d had enough. As much as I’d wanted to save it, she needed the dream dust. I found my pants nearby and pulled the pouch from my pocket. She got the bandana untied right as I blew the remaining white powder in her face.
She coughed while I turned and held my breath. After I felt her go limp, I turned back to catch her just before she hit the ground face first. Then I retied the bandana.
“Dammit,” I muttered in frustration, picking her up and pushing myself to my feet.
My original plan had been to somehow climb down from the window using the bedsheets, dragging Lisanda along the way if she resisted. Now I was thinking that probably wouldn’t have worked very well. I should’ve just used the dream dust right away, then I could’ve been out the window already. The guards were coming up the stairs.
With the Sartious rings no longer needed, I turned the hard energy into a light green dust cloud to free my hand from Lisanda’s. I tossed her onto the bed near the window.
I was squeezing into my wet clothing when I heard the doorknob wiggle.
“Open this door,” a guard demanded, pounding on it now, “or I’ll break it down.”
“Haven’t you done enough?” It was the innkeeper’s voice. He was right beside the guard outside. “Give me a moment to fetch the key.”
I rushed to tie the end of a bedsheet around Lisanda’s waist. Then I carried her to the window.
“There’s no time,” the guard replied to the innkeeper. “Move back.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no reason to break down this door!”
There was some sort of tussle between them. I heard bodies bouncing against walls. Some guests must’ve come out of their room nearby because I heard two new voices.
“Stop!” a woman ordered.
“Stand back, Margaret!” An older man seemed to be talking to the woman.
“You will not stand in our way,” the guard said. I heard the distinct sound of knuckles slamming into flesh.
“Stop!” The woman was on the verge of tears.
By then I had tied the other end of the sheets to the bed leg and pushed the bed as close to the window as possible. I was far from confident that my plan would work perfectly. The sheets could rip, the bed leg could break, Lisanda could slam against the side of the inn, or any number of other bad things could happen.
But I didn’t have any time left. Guards were kicking my door now.
I grabbed some slack of the rope made of sheets, leaned back on the bed, and propped my feet against the wall. I shifted one foot toward the Princess where I had her lying across the windowsill. After a few nudges, she rolled over the edge. The sudden weight was startling, mostly because I knew her life was in my hands, but I managed to hold her without too much difficulty.
I knew a guard would bust through the door any second. I felt Lisanda’s body brushing against the side of the inn as I lowered her as quickly as I could without losing my grip. Soon, I ran out of slack. I slowly let myself up from the bed, worried it would flip or break from Lisanda’s weight when I got up. It creaked but seemed to hold.
The door flew open. Two guards stomped into the room. I noticed the innkeeper’s slumped body against the wall in the hallway and a woman tending to him.
“Is that him?” one guard asked.
“What are you doing?” the other asked me, nearly at the same time as the first guard’s question. Both had their hands on the hilts of their swords.
“It is him!” the first one answered himself. “He’s trying to run.”
They came at me. I swung myself over the window, barely grabbing the rope of bedsheets in my panic. With a quick look down, I noticed Lisanda’s limp body hanging a few feet from the ground. I looked back up. A guard and his sword peeked out the window. He swiped at me but missed. He started to cut the bedsheet! Even with Lisanda tied to it! What in the
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